The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rhododendron plant botanically known as Rhododendron simsii and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Carmen’.
‘Carmen’ is a hybrid that originated from the induced hybridization of the female or seed parent Rhododendron simsii ‘Helmut Vogel’ (not patented) and the male or pollen parent Rhododendron obtusum ‘Rose Bud’ (not patented). The cultivar ‘Carmen’ was selected by the inventor in 1994 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a cultivated area of Kruishoutem, Belgium.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘Carmen’ by cuttings was first performed in 1994 in Kruishoutem, Belgium. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.